Here's an Opportunity
Chapter 68: Ice Troll (2)

Chapter 68: Ice Troll (2)

"Let's see, Let's see... What do we have here..."

Having scaled the ice wall created by Hunters with ice-type skills, Kim Ki-Rok arrived at a hill riddled with countless traps. Scanning his surroundings, he saw signs labeled "TRAP" placed all over, presumably to warn those who had gone out here to scout.

"Why am I scouting when Sky Wings, a guild made entirely of women, set up shop somewhere around here?" Nam Dong-Wook, the South Vermillion Bird of the DG Guild, sighed heavily as he tailed behind Kim Ki-Rok.

"What's the problem? If you want to go on dates, why don't you just ask the women in our guild?" Kim Ki-Rok asked him.

"They turned me down. Completely rejected me."

"Ah, so you set your sights elsewhere after exhausting all internal options."

"Exactly."

"Did Ji-Yeon reject you too?"

"Yes," Nam Dong-Wook immediately replied. "And you know what Eunny told me?"

"Ms. Yoo Seh-Eun?"

"Yes. Eunny said she would kill me if I asked Ji-Yeon to set up a blind date..."

"Why?"

"She asked if I was trying to ruin their friendship."

"Introducing you to someone else would ruin their friendship...?" Kim Ki-Rok chuckled and looked at Dong Sung-Min. "What about our East Azure Dragon?"

"Is that really my name now?" Dong Sung-Min asked exasperatedly.

"You're one of the Four Cardinal Guardians of the DG Guild. Isn't that a good nickname to have?"

"Ha! Hey, Guildmaster. I mean, come on..."

"It's better than being called the Crazy Bastard of DG Guild, right?"

"East Azure Dragon" was a nickname that reeked of middle school syndrome, but "Crazy Bastard" was practically just a slur. Both were horrible in their own ways, yet Dong Sung-Min did not even hesitate. "I'll take the nickname Crazy Bastard any day."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Ugh, ever since that Four Cardinal Guardians video went up, the kids in my apartment complex call me a dragon. They go, 'Wow! It's the dragon!' Some of the older brats keep asking me to make it rain. And one time, a few others wanted to know if it's in my left arm or right arm. They're actually asking that seriously." Dong Sung-Min vented his frustrations without restraint.

"Left arm? Right arm?" Kim Ki-Rok repeated inquisitively.

"They're asking which arm the dragon is sealed in[1]," he replied in defeat.

"Hehehe." This time, Kim Ki-Rok looked at Seo Lee-Ha. "Is Mr. Lee-Ha interested as well?"

"Pardon?" Seo Lee-Ha asked.

"In dating, I mean."

"Um, yes. It's a little embarrassing, but I am interested."

Seeing Seo Lee-Ha's awkward smile, Nam Dong-Wook snapped and shouted, "Hey! Dude, seriously! What's the problem with being interested in dating, huh? Don't be ashamed!"

Kim Ki-Rok nodded. "He's right. Of course. There's nothing wrong with being interested in dating. Just as long as it's not as excessive as our South Vermillion Bird right here."

"Guildmaster!" Nam Dong-Wook protested.

"To be honest, you are a bit much," Kim Ki-Rok said bluntly.

Half of the female Hunters in the DG Guild had been romantically approached by Nam Dong-Wook. Some, for a moment, gave it genuine thought. However, watching him almost instantly move on to another woman dried up any hint of real interest they might've had.

"What about our North Black Tortoise?" Kim Ki-Rok asked.

Boo Seung-Tae replied, "My last relationship was three years ago..."

"Are there any among the female Hunters in our guild that you have feelings for?"

"Dating within the guild is a bit..." Boo Seung-Tae awkwardly replied.

"What about you, Mr. Lee Chil-Sung?" Kim Ki-Rok said.

"I want to see my younger brother get married first. Then I'll think about marriage myself."

No, not marriage, but dating... Kim Ki-Rok shook his head at that answer, then continued toward the Gate.

"How about you, Guildmaster? Not dating anyone?" one of the Hunters asked.

"I am not fated for it."

After repeating his life for the first five times, he had begun avoiding relationships. Whenever he failed and had to start a life over, the sense of loss when the memories of his previous Attempt resurfaced was too overwhelming.

"Well then, let's see..." Hoping to change the subject, Kim Ki-Rok faced the Gate and used Appraisal.

[Contaminated Ice Troll's Frozen Valley]

Difficulty: Levels 55–63

Reward: Unable to confirm

It was a Gate somewhere in between C and B-Class.

"Ice... So this one leads to a snowy mountain?" Kim Ki-Rok asked his fellow Hunters.

"Yes," one of them responded.

"And they mentioned Ice Trolls as well," he murmured.

Since the Gate difficulty had a substantial range in level, it was most likely that there were other monsters lurking inside, Ice Trolls aside.

"Let's try Discernment..."

[Contaminated Ice Troll's Frozen Valley]

Difficulty: Levels 55–63

Reward: Unable to confirm

Clear Condition: Defeat the Ice Troll Lord

※Special Reward Condition: Destroy the dark mana stone altar in the snowy mountain

※Special Reward 1: Vitality +3 or Strength +3

※Special Reward 2: Skill (Regeneration) or Artifact (B)

"Oh!"

Kim Ki-Rok jotted down the newly revealed details on a memo pad, then showed it to the Four Cardinal Guardians and Lee Chil-Sung.

"Stats can increase by 3?!" one of the Hunters exclaimed.

"A healing skill called Regeneration... or a B-Class artifact. Wow! That's great!" said another.

"Yes. The rewards are excellent. The problem is..." Kim Ki-Rok trailed off. He took a few steps toward the Gate, and the rest followed behind.

"It's too vast to clear in a short time period, isn't it?"

***

Although they had only closed their eyes briefly, Kim Ki-Rok and the Hunters were met with an icy wind that none had ever experienced. The winters in Korea were no joke, but this Gate was on a different level. The cold blades of wind sliced their exposed skin.

"J-jeez, it's freezing!" Nam Dong-Wook, clad in a thick padded jacket, quickly pulled up his hood, zipped it up fully, and retrieved the gloves from his pocket. The others followed suit.

"I've never been here before," Kim Ki-Rok muttered in a small voice as he took out hand warmers from his subspace pocket and passed them around. "Here, put these inside your clothes."

"G-G-Guildmaster, do we have to stay here?" one of them chattered.

"More intel means decreased casualties. Let's get this over with quickly. Other guilds will also be scouting, so we'll be finished faster than you think," Kim Ki-Rok explained.

Close to the Gate's entrance, a small base camp had been set up for scouting parties. Perking up at the sounds of people approaching, someone peeked out from a tent.

"Hello. We're from DG Guild. I'm Kim Ki-Rok."

"Ah, you're the one with that skill more advanced than Appraisal... Discernment, was it?"

"Yes, we came hoping to help. May we come in?"

"By all means."

The man opened the doors to the barracks and ushered them in.

"Hmm, hmm!" Nam Dong-Wook cleared his throat.

There was a woman in the barracks wearing a thick, padded coat, but it couldn't hide how beautiful she was. Nam Dong-Wook's eyes widened as he pushed back his hood. "Nice to meet you. I am Nam Dong-Wook from DG Guild."

"I'm Kim Min, from the FC Guild based in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province," the male Hunter said.

"I am Jeong Soo-Ah from FC Guild," the woman also introduced herself.

Like clockwork, Dong-Wook's "charm mode" kicked in. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Hunter Kim Min, Hunter Jeong Soo-Ah."

"Nam Dong-Wook from DG Guild..." one of the Hunters murmured.

Nam Dong-Wook's eyes seemed to brighten up. "You've heard of me?"

"You're the South Vermillion Bird, right?"

Nam Dong-Wook looked dejected, while the other members of DG Guild bit their lower lips hard to hold back laughter.

"No, sigh... No, this..." He stammered, clearly at a loss for words.

"At least you're etched into the memory of the people. Not as a skilled archer of the DG Guild, but as the South Vermillion Bird," Kim Ki-Rok consoled.

"That's exactly the problem!" Nam Dong-Wook snapped back.

Ignoring Dong-Wook's protest, Kim Ki-Rok lightly smacked his palms together, turning his attention to Kim Min. "I plan to use Discernment to identify the troll's weaknesses. Do you happen to know its location?"

"Discernment also confirms weaknesses of monsters?" she asked.

"That's right."

Knowing an enemy's weakness simplifies the hunt enormously.

Hunter Kim Min stood up. "Hmm! Soo-Ah, can you stay alone... Actually, no. I'm sorry, Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok but could you..."

"Right. It would be good for about two people to guard the Gate entrance in case of emergencies."

Swish!

Nam Dong-Wook's hand shot up. "Guildmaster!"

Kim Ki-Rok looked at him. "Yes. I understand."

"Finally! I knew you would come around!"

"You'll be coming with us, Mr. Dong-Wook."

"Huh?! Why?!"

"Because you are the one and only South Vermillion Bird with the Fly Skill."

Even if he wanted to shout at his Guildmaster to change the guide, Nam Dong-Wook stayed silent and trudged along with slumped shoulders.

"Let's see. Then Mr. East Azure Dragon and Mr. North Black Tortoise, please stay here," Kim Ki-Rok instructed.

Dong Sung-Min and Boo Seung-Tae nodded.

"Why are you leaving North Black Tortoise behind?"

"Because we didn't come here to fight. Our North Black Tortoise specializes in enchanting equipment, but this is meant to be an intel-gathering mission."

One couldn't argue with that logic.

Nam Dong-Wook still looked crestfallen. He trudged out of the tent with Kim Ki-Rok and Seo Lee-Ha, following Kim Min's lead. As they ventured deep inside the forest, Kim Min cautiously lowered his body and said, "This is where we spotted the Ice Troll during the last scout mission."

Kim Ki-Rok stood before Nam Dong-Wook, turned his body, spread his arms, and said, "Dong-Wook, it's morphin' time."

"Ugh, I fucking hate morphin' time," Nam Dong-Wook grumbled but still embraced Kim Ki-Rok from behind, using his skill to soar into the air. "Urgh, why do I have to hug a dude!"

"I don't like being hugged by a guy either, so stop complaining. Oh, there it is. Stop."

Nam Dong-Wook, who had stopped ascending, turned his head to look in the direction Kim Ki-Rok was looking at. A white-skinned troll was lying on the ground, sleeping.

"Isn't it cold?" Nam Dong-Wook asked.

"It's an Ice Troll. Do you think it gets cold?" Kim Ki-Rok answered.

"True."

After using Discernment to read the information about the Ice Troll, Kim Ki-Rok noted the details and ordered a retreat.

"Let's go back down."

"We aren't going to look for other monsters?" Nam Dong-Wook asked.

"During the Break, the monster we should be most cautious about is the Ice Troll. We don't need to be on guard against the other ones, like goblins, wolves, and tigers."

"I see... Huh? One of the monsters?" Nam Dong-Wook asked again, looking at the back of Kim Ki-Rok's head. "What do you mean?"

"You checked the Gate information, didn't you?" Kim Ki-Rok asked.

"Oh, that. Was it an Ice Troll Lord?" Nam Dong-Wook answered.

"Yes, it's the Ice Troll Lord."

"So, shouldn't we go look for him?"

"None of the recon teams so far have found any sign of it, so we'd have to comb the entire snowy mountain. That's impossible in the next three hours—before the meeting starts."

"So it's impossible."

"Exactly. So we'll confirm the Ice Trolls for now, then withdraw. Let's descend."

"Alright. But, Guildmaster, what is its weakness?"

"Weakness? It has none."

Nam Dong-Wook was taken aback. "None?" He asked.

"None. According to Discernment, Ice Trolls have a high mana resistance and regeneration ability. That's all there is to it."

"It's a giant-type monster. Wouldn't its usual weaknesses be like the heart or brain?" Nam Dong-Wook asked.

"The problem is that it's a troll. Unless you destroy the heart or brain in one clean strike, it would just regenerate its injuries. Technically you can call that a weak spot, but it means you need to obliterate it in one shot."

"Wow... Damn."

Thud.

Kim Ki-Rok landed on the ground and confirmed some additional information. "Hunter Kim Min?"

"Yes. Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok."

"How many Ice Trolls were there in total?"

"Thirty-two."

Kim Ki-Rok's face grew pensive, and Nam Dong-Wook let out a long sigh.

***

Guild size, rankings, and the presence of an ace aside, DG Guild was currently the most famous one.

Launched alongside the Shine Guild and Golden Lion Guild in a joint operation to hunt down Awakened criminals, DG Guild had since grown from scratch into a mid-sized guild in half a year. Yet its real fame came from its bizarre, almost movie-like promotional videos. They posted them constantly, effectively branding "DG Guild" into people's brains.

On the rare occasions they went live, "DG" would inevitably climb the real-time search rankings. Hunters were often more memorable than the guilds they came from, but it seemed that DG Guild was exactly the opposite. Although, some of their members were practically as famous as any top idol or movie star.

"I heard they went out to scout out as soon as they arrived..."

Inside the village hall, just before the meeting, Hunters milled about in groups. Word had spread that DG Guild had arrived, along with the legendary Guildmaster "Crazy Bastard" Kim Ki-Rok who had grown the guild into a medium-sized entity within six months of its founding.

Click.

At the sound of the doorknob turning, all the Hunters in the town hall turned their gaze at the door. A beauty with flowing red hair stepped into the hall. Following her was a strange afro-haired man with a bushy beard that left a very strong impression.

The man, with his blatant wig and fake beard, waved at the people. "Hellooo."

"Huh?"

"Yes, yes, hello! I'm Kim the Explainer, from DG Guild. Good old Uncle Kim, Kim Ki-Rok!"

The crowd was too stunned to speak.

"Huh?"

1. A meme from a famous anime, featuring this scene: ☜